


Under the Light of a Nebula

by Misthiel



Category: Doctor Who, Doctor Who (2005)
Genre: Everyone is a gay mess, F/F, Feelings, Fluff, Happy, I still don't know how tags work, Neither nebulas sorry, Sleep Deprivation, The doctor is a gay mess, Yaz Is A Gay Mess, thasmin
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-08-02
Updated: 2020-08-02
Packaged: 2021-03-06 05:21:25
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,723
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25668118
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Misthiel/pseuds/Misthiel
Summary: "Hi Doctor!Just wondering... If you're not too busy, could you pick me up sooner??Bit bored here at home. If you can, of course!"The worst 5 minutes of her life. The sound of the answer startled Yaz, and she jumped on the phone to read it eagerly."Sure!!! See you at your 7 am??"orYaz can't sleep because she misses the Doctor, and the blonde just needs an excuse to show her the universe. They're two hopeless idiots in love who aren't brave enough to admit it in front of the other... Or are they??My first Thasmin fic! :D
Relationships: The Doctor & Yasmin Khan, The Doctor/Yasmin Khan, Thirteen/Yasmin Khan, Thirteen/Yaz, Thirteenth Doctor & Yasmin Khan, Thirteenth Doctor/Yasmin Khan
Comments: 6
Kudos: 38





	Under the Light of a Nebula

**Author's Note:**

> The summary says it all: this is my first Thasmin one-shot, so I hope you all like it as much as I did while writing it. I love these two too much  
> Every commentary is welcome, I’m slowly trying to improve my writing. Like always, thanks for reading! It means a lot to me.

She shouldn't have texted her. Yaz was reading again the messages, knowing there was something wrong with them. Or maybe it was with her.

The Doctor had left them on Earth one week ago. Graham was catching up with his old coworkers on a trip to Spain. "I ain’t saying no to a place with such good food, Doc!" he had said. In the meanwhile, Ryan had signed up for a local basketball championship with Tibo and his friends. It was the first one he attended to, so the boy was quite excited. What left her... alone. Again. The girl wished she had asked the Doctor if she could stay on the ship with her, but she hadn't been brave enough. So, she ended up spending a normal week with her family, fighting over the remote with Sonja and trying to help his father reconcile with electronics. Not that she didn't like sharing time with them, but Yaz felt she didn't fit completely there anymore.

The dilemma between calling the Doctor earlier than expected and whether she would bother her had kept her up all night. It wasn't until 6 am when she decided to send some messages, after which she threw her phone aside, covering her face with the pillow and questioning what he had just done.

" **Hi Doctor!**

**Just wondering... If you're not too busy, could you pick me up sooner??**

**Bit bored here at home. If you can, of course!** "

The worst 5 minutes of her life. The sound of the answer startled her, and she jumped on the phone to read it eagerly.

" **Sure!!! See you at your 7 am??** "

There was an exaggerated amount of emojis on the text, but Yaz could only think of one thing: The Doctor was lying, and she was doing it out of pity. Every letter on the message felt like a kind lie. The girl shook her head, trying to keep those thoughts away. " _You're over this, c'mon! She doesn't hate you, and neither does your family, nor Ryan and Graham. She's just... oblivious. Focus on, Yaz, she's an alien and you just a normal human_."

So, there she was, sitting on the street and bitting her lower lip, realizing maybe she should have told the Doctor to wait until she could get some hours of sleep. She was exhausted, but what's done, is done. A few minutes after 7:00, the TARDIS materialized in front of her and a coatless Doctor peeked out the door with a wide smile and the messiest blonde hair on Earth.

"Yaz!!! Here you are, come on!" She took the girls hand, almost dragging her inside the ship. Yaz followed her, trying to keep her balance; she had caught her completely off guard and half asleep. The energy the Doctor had never ceased to amaze her.

Once they entered the ship, the Time Lord left her next to the console and started checking the controls.

"Ohhh, I'm so glad you texted, I've just discovered an incredible new mystery of the universe. Chop-chop, you'll love it!"

Yaz was still processing the movement, but she couldn't hold a smile.

"I thought you were very busy checking that holographic... what-d'you-call-it. I didn't want to interrupt anything."

"Oh, you mean the holographic Emergency Program One, don't worry." She shrugged. "I fixed it in 5 minutes, not a big deal, sooo... I decided to explore a little. I thought you would like to see it." She shut up for a moment, doubting. "Well, I mean all of you, but the rest of the fam have other things to do right now, so... Come here!" The Doctor took a little excited jump and waved her over.

Yaz walked towards the console and, as soon as she was close enough, the Doctor began talking and pointing out some wheels and buttons on the console.

"Now, Yasmin Khan, you're gonna help me fly the TARDIS."

The Time Lord started what seemed like an explanation, but Yaz didn't pay much attention. She was feeling pretty tired and numb, so it was hard to concentrate... on an explanation. Instead, Yaz stood there gawking at The Doctor, at her rushed gestures and how she tucked her blonde hair behind her ear every time it fell on her face, showing the delicate silver pendant that outlined her skin. Her eyebrows raising when she tried to explain something tricky. She didn't get what she was saying, but her enthusiastic and fascinated tone made her heart melt. " _Oh, focus on the speech, Yaz! It’s important! Stop being such a hopeless gay and pay attention._ "

"Yaz? Are you okay?" A soft touch on her hand and the concerned voice of the Doctor drew her out of her thoughts, letting Yaz see she had been staring at the woman for way too long. She was looking at Yaz with worry on her eyes. That, added to the Doctor's hand on hers, didn't help her at all to sort out her mind; it made her even more nervous. She just hoped she wasn't blushing.

"Ehhh... Sorry, I was— I didn't sleep well last night and I'm a bit sluggish." Yaz shook her hair and looked down for a moment. She couldn't look directly at those golden eyes for too long without betraying herself. The girl took some air before talking again. "Could you, eh... start again? I'm so sorry, I—"

The concern on the Doctor's face turned into a warmth smile. She rubbed Yaz's hand and nodded.

"Hey, don't worry. If you want to rest..."

"No, no! It's fine, if I do something, I'll be more awake." The last thing she wanted was letting her down or staying away from the Doctor.

"Brilliant! Then, let's do this," she said happily. "Here, I'll guide you."

Fine, maybe she was wrong. She didn't want to stay away from the Doctor, but she didn't want to be **that** close. The Time Lord got behind her, leading her across the controls.

"The coordinates are already on the system, so, first, you just have to spin that wheel..." Yaz nodded and rotated the instrument the Doctor was pointing at. She could feel her breathing on the back of her neck when she spoke. "Perfect! Now, in that panel, push the red button, then orange, and red again. Twice!"

Yaz stepped aside to reach the buttons and the Doctor followed her closely, rushing to her right side.

"And to finish... The lever. Oh, I love the lever!" She giggled and put her hand on the metallic piece. "C'mon! You too, you're flying a TARDIS today, Yaz!"

The girl smiled nervously and placed her hand on hers; the Doctor nodded and they both pulled down the lever. The TARDIS emitted her characteristic take-off sounds, wobbling and travelling across space. Yaz held on tight to the console, smiling and looking at the changing lights around her. It kept fascinating her. If she hadn't been so absorbed in the travelling ship, she could have seen the Doctor looking directly at her. There was admiration on her eyes, shining under the only feeling that could make an old gaze look young and hopeful again.

As soon as the TARDIS stopped, the Doctor glanced away when Yaz regained her balance.

"Ohh, I love it, but I think I'll never get used to this." The girl chuckled.

"You'll do, I'm sure. You have many travels ahead, Yaz!" She winked at her and rushed to the TARDIS' doors. "Now, I present you... the Butterfly Nebula."

As she opened the doors, a whitish blue light flooded the entrance of the TARDIS, illuminating the figure of the Time Lord. Yaz approached, intrigued, and tiptoed to look over the Doctor's shoulder. She opened her eyes wide; the view was breathtaking! Two bursts of light blue stardust were facing each other. Both arose from the same point and expanded into infinity, illuminating the darkness of the universe. The nebula was shining, at times even more illuminated by blasts of energy coming from the origin and spreading along the wings of the butterfly like a heartbeat.

"You like it?" The Doctor said, turning to a side to let her see better.

Without looking away and amazed, Yaz nodded.

"It's... so beautiful. It looks like if it was alive!"

"Oh, that's because SHE is. She's a living nebula! That was the mystery I solved!" The Doctor bent down and sat at the edge of the ship, balancing her feet in the void. She tapped at the wooden floor next to her, inviting her companion.

Yaz sat next to her trying not to show her agitation. When she settled in, the weight of the sleepless night fell over her. Maybe saying she didn't need a rest had been a dumb move, but Yaz didn't want to make the Doctor think she wasn't interested. She sighed and blinked a few times, trying to calm down, focus on the view.

"You said it— she is alive? How is that even possible?" Yaz asked, skeptical.

"Oh, it's a long story..."

Yaz could see on her eyes she was dying to tell it. "Well, I've got all the time in the world."

The Doctor's eyes shone with excitement at the possibility of sharing more knowledge with Yaz. She put one arm around the human and hugged her before starting one of her enthusiastic speeches. Yaz's heart rushed, but she tried to focus on the story while he rested her head on the Doctor's shoulder. She was too tired to say no to a break.

"See, this nebula is very, very old. It formed many billion years ago from the crash of two twin stars. Or that's what people think at first. Actually, it’s the collision of two massive consciousness. They blend into one single being, constantly exploding, new stars and systems growing around them. Constant companions. Always alone, but they have each other for eternity." She sighed and looked down at her companion, who was staring at the nebula.

"That makes her even more astounding." Yaz said quietly, tiredness taking hold of her. "Thank you, Doctor." A smile grew on her lips. "Thanks for showing me... well, us, all these wonderful things. You're amazing."

Emotion spread through the Time Lord's hearts, moved by the fact that Yaz thought so. The Doctor couldn't have hoped for more.

"My pleasure." She blushed slightly and took refuge in the vision in front of her, so that the other one wouldn’t see the red flushing on her cheeks.

The Doctor stayed in silence for a moment, something quite unusual in her. She stared at the nebula before speaking again.

"You know, Yaz... I don't expect you to understand what I'm about to say. Even if you don't believe it, you're incredible. So young, so strong and full of life... During my time here I've gone through a lot, too. Good and bad. I've visited almost all time and space, known a lot of people and lived stories you wouldn't believe. But— I've lost too many loved ones and failed many others. And yet, I keep falling for the same thing."

The Doctor closed her eyes, the pain of memories she would rather forget, feelings not helping her to feel better.

"I never learn. I see the shine on your eyes, Yaz, and I can't help but fall in love with that." She stopped to take some air. "But then, I ask myself: do you want to be responsible for that fire going out? And I just—"

The Doctor gathered enough courage to look at her, just to find her peacefully sleeping on her shoulder, the light of the nebula illuminating her dark skin and outlining the profile of her face. Maybe she was more tired than she was willing to admit before. The Time Lord chuckled at her own discourse, now lost in space, because Yaz hadn't listen to it. The Doctor smiled and hold her closer to leave a featherlight kiss on top of her head.

"Thanks for being here."

...

The electronic sounds of the ship slowly woke her up. Yaz blinked a few times, trying to adjust her eyes to the bright yellow light of the TARDIS. She was lying on an armchair and covered with a blanket she didn't remember putting there. Suddenly, all the memories of the last hours came to her mind at once. " _Shit, you fell sleep, you idiot! Just in the most important moment._ "

Yaz stood up quickly, a bit dizzy until her blood adapted to be on her feet. The console room was silent apart from the typical ship noises. She wondered around the place, wondering where the Doctor would be, hoping she wasn't angry at her for falling asleep; even though she knew that didn't make sense, sometimes her mind liked to trick her.

"Doctor?"

Some hurried steps went downstairs, and the blonde woman appeared out of nowhere. She put the last bit of a custard cream in his mouth before jumping on the floor, skipping some steps.

"Yaz, you're awake!! Feeling better?" The Doctor said approaching her.

"Yes, but I'm so sorry, I didn't sleep last night, and I just needed—" Her mind started pulling out unnecessary excuses.

"Shhhh, don't apologize." The Doctor said placing her hands on Yaz's shoulders and giving her a reassuring smile. "I understand, it's okay. You humans need to sleep a lot, sometimes I envy that!"

Yaz laughed at her commentary and she nodded. "Thanks."

"No need. Now," she clapped her hands, "I hope you're fully energized, because I've got a new destiny in mind!"

The Doctor was about to ramble again when Yaz cut her off.

"Doctor," she said with the steadiest voice she could.

"What's wrong??" The blonde looked at her, confused. "You can choose where we go next, it's not a big deal. Sometimes I get too excited, sorry."

"It's not that," she shook her head and took a deep breath," it's... I heard you."

The Doctor bit her lower lip and blinked several times, understanding even less. She is REALLY that oblivious, Yaz thought, desperate.

"Sorry, I'm not—"

"Oh, shut up." Yaz said before closing the distance between them, grabbing the Doctor by the suspenders and pressing their lips together. She couldn't resist looking at them for any longer without kissing her.

It wasn't calculated, it was an impulsive kiss, maybe even sloppy, but she wasn't looking for anything more than the truth. It was soft and slow, like she was trying to make it last forever. Even though Yaz had listened to her words, the fear of rejection ran through her veins with every heartbeat. She always had been terrified of that. But in that moment, she just wanted to taste the vanilla on her lips for all eternity. At first, the Doctor froze, holding her breath like she was afraid of losing it. But after Yaz had left that warmth on her skin, she drew back into her lips, kissing them with the same softness. She felt how Yaz's hand climbed to her cheek, caressing it with the most delicate touch. Instead, the Doctor ran her fingers down to her waist, pulling her closer than Yaz had in mind, but neither of them cared. They just let the feeling of melting into one another take hold of both.

Yaz ended the kiss, overwhelmed by the emotions and needing to catch a breath. She didn't break the contact, her lips still touching the Doctor's, who started laughing lightly. A pure laugh, full of happiness and relief that Yaz unconsciously imitated. They stood there together, resting on each other's foreheads.

"Well, Doctor, don't worry; this fire isn't thinking about leaving for a long time." Yaz said playfully.

"Oh, I see that now." The Doctor couldn't hold a smile. "Yasmin Khan, you're so smart and gorgeous. I'm so glad you're here, with me."

At that distance, it was impossible for Yaz to hide the blush on her cheeks, so she smiled her back.

"Then... does that mean I get to choose where we go next?" She asked boldly, making the Doctor break up laughing.

"Sure, you choose." She said just before leaving a quick kiss on Yaz's lips.

"Fine, because I've already chosen one." She held the Doctor's hand, Yaz being the one dragging her to the console of the ship this time.


End file.
